Indiana men’s basketball’s exhibition schedule is starting to come into focus, as the Hoosiers announced an Oct. 25 matchup against Western Kentucky University at the Ford Center in Evansville. Indiana previously announced an Oct. 18 exhibition contest with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Indianapolis.
The Hoosiers and Hilltoppers have played each other three times during the regular season in program history. Western Kentucky took the first matchup 110-91 in Dallas, Texas, on Dec. 28, 1967, but Indiana won the two most recent contests in 1984 and 1993.
The Hoosiers last played at the 11,000-seat Ford Center in 2011 against the University of Evansville. Indiana defeated the Purple Aces 94-73 in the second-ever basketball game at the arena.
Western Kentucky finished the 2025-26 season with an 18-14 overall record and an 11-9 mark in Conference USA. The Hilltoppers were downed by Kennesaw State University 96-87 in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
Western Kentucky returns redshirt junior guard Teagan Moore. He finished on the All-Conference USA first team after compiling 18.7 points — the second-best mark in the conference — 5.6 rebounds and 2 assists per game. Sophomore guard Armelo Boone and senior guard LJ Hackman are also back for the Hilltoppers. The pair both played 29 or more games and averaged 10.9 and 8.5 points per game, respectively.
Western Kentucky lost senior forward Louie Semona and senior forward/center Noah Boyde to the transfer portal. In turn, the Hilltoppers recruited sophomore guard Noah Norgaard from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and sophomore forward EJ Walker from the University of South Carolina.
The Hoosiers finished the 2025-26 season with an 18-14 overall record and a 9-11 mark in Big Ten play, missing the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season. Indiana's season concluded with a 74-61 defeat to Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament on March 11.
Tip-off for the showdown is scheduled for 4 p.m. and tickets will go on sale beginning at 11 a.m. on June 26.
